Jimmy Fallon/Roots Watch Continues: My God Rappers Sound Good on This Show

March 6, 2009

It did not occur until just now that the Roots on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon makes this particular 30 Rock soundstage into absolute ground zero for live rap. You now have arguably hip-hop’s best live act, in residence: willing and able support for anybody with an album out. Jay-Z. Nas. T.I. Black Thought will now play hypeman to the Soulja Boys of the world, a scary prospect neatly balanced by performances like last night’s, when Tariq and Luda made Ludacris’s Theater of the Mind-medley, off an alright album at best, sound like total fire. If Fallon can last, the potential of this combo is really, really high: Ed Sullivan, Top of the Pops, name it; who doesn’t get better when backed by the Roots? And what’s more, who in hip-hop turns down an invitation from Fallon at this point?

Not that Jimmy’s insanely awkward post-performance interview bodes particularly well. You know it’s bad when your guests are threatening to take over your show on night four of your short run. Or when your house band’s jokes–they played “Doin’ the Butt” when Serena Williams came out; sorry, that’s hilarious–are better than yours. [2DopeBoyz]